When BigSis was here in CA last month for my birthday week, we made our usual trip to Trader Joe's. We always try to pop in so BigSis can pick up a few favorite items since there's not a TJ's in Texas…yet!

Yes, Texans, get ready!  Trader Joe's is coming to Texas. There are five confirmed locations in Texas so far. The first stores will open in Fort Worth, Houston and Plano, then in Fall 2012, they'll open in Dallas and San Antonio. (I bet BigSis is first in line when their doors open at the one in Dallas, which just so happens to be pretty close to her house.) 🙂

When she was here, BigSis picked up some of these Wasabi Roasted Seaweed Snacks since she regularly buys the wasabi flavor in the Annie Chun's brand, and loves them. I've tried the plain ones without the Wasabi before and even though I did like them, they smelled a little fishy so I never bought them again.

Can you see how yummy and crispy these are? Not only are they a great snack, but this is my new favorite quick and easy, healthy lunch.

Two or three of these simply wrapped around a half a slice of  TJ's low sodium turkey breast makes a perfect lunch.

Here are a couple made with TJ's no salt Solid White Tuna.

I've been making these almost every day with either the tuna or the turkey, depending on what I have on hand. It's a great alternative if you're trying to cut back on the carbs. For vegetarians, I've made these wrapped around an avocado and tomato slice and they're super good!

I'm sure I could get even more creative with these; maybe crab and avocado like a California roll? Yummy!

If you're lucky enough to have a Trader's nearby and you like Wasabi, pick these up on your next trip and let me know what you think.

An added bonus is that they're only 99 cents!  And, maybe the best thing is that they satisfy our cravings for a salty crispy snack, but they are actually low in sodium at only 65 mg per serving.

(Just so you know, this is not an “paid” endorsement for Traders, I just love their products and they have great options for low sodium products!)

~LilSis

Posted under Food, Shopping

BigSis first mentioned Relastin Eye Silk to us back in November.  I decided to give the Relastin Eye Silk a try since I wasn't completely satisfied with my whole eye cream regime.  I started using it on December 1st, so as of today, I've been using the product for 45 days. I have to say that I have really noticed some results with this product!

I use the product morning and night. It only takes a VERY small amount! This product has a very different consistency compared to any that I've used in the past. (And, trust me, I've tried a lot!)  It's not really a serum and not really a cream, but more of a very light, soft, gel like consistency. (I guess that's why they named it Silk)  And it works great under concealer, too, which is a BIG problem with a lot of eye products.

The container is a pump and you really can't tell how much is actually left in the bottle, so I went ahead and ordered another bottle since I didn't want to take a chance of running out. Check the Relastin website for special sales or discount codes. They have a special going on right now where you can buy two Relastin products and receive the Relastin Eye Silk for FREE!

Relastin Eye Silk

I don't want to claim that this is some miracle product and then someone tries it and doesn't notice the same results. I just notice that underneath my eyes seems a little tighter, more supple and less wrinkled. I've also noticed that ‘those nasty little crows feet' are somewhat diminished. Seriously! I wouldn't make that up!

There's really no reason not to give this product a try because they do offer a full 30 day money back guarantee if you're not completely satisfied! You've got nothing to lose!

So, BigSis, now that we've found an eye product that actually produces some results, I'd really LOVE to find an anti-cellulite product that will do the same!

How about an update on those Borba Cellulite Products?

~LilSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

We're already gearing up for our Third Annual Bake Sale, which will be held on December 14th.  This is the second year that 100% of the proceeds will go to SPCA Texas, and we're beyond excited to get crackin' and bakin'!  We have a lot of work ahead of us: shopping, baking, wrapping, labeling, transporting, and promoting, but we all agree that we have more fun doing this than pretty much anything else all year!

The little-baking-team-that-could this year is me, SisMama, my coworkers K and SAA, and K's sister L.  Our goal for the one-day sale is $3000 again!  Last year, our final total was $3055, so we're hopeful we can exceed the goal again. We're not totally crazy though, so the goal isn't increasing!

To help us reach our goal again for the SPCA, we could really really use your help!  We know what recipes worked for us last year – and which ones didn't move – but we'd love to know what your favorites are.

Pretend that you went to a fund-raising bake sale at Christmas to buy cute packaged homemade gifts to give to your babysitter, hairdresser, postman, Bunco friends, kids' teachers, kids' friends, Secret Santas, etc.  What would you like to find?  Traditional items like gingerbread, pound cake, biscotti and sugar cookies?  Or indulgent items you might not make yourself like almond toffee, fudge, pecan pie bars, and fancy brownies?  Would you be interested in something savory like a spicy snack mix or nut blend?  Or something else altogether?

Maybe you've had some great success yourself with certain items at bake sales.  What works best for you?  Or maybe you have specialties that you think would be an awesome hit at a Christmas bake sale?

If you have ideas, please pass them on to us!  Thanks in advance from us – and all of the animals at the SPCA – for your suggestions!

~BigSis

Posted under Food

There's a lot going on in the news this week.

• Someone allegedly stole Michael Jackson's nose from the morgue.  He supposedly had a jar with 6 noses to choose from in his closet.

• Rumors are flying that Rihanna is hooking up with Chris Brown again, fueled by their stays at Trump Tower in NYC last weekend.

• The Bachelorette chose the guy she'll dump soon get married to (I didn't watch).

• “More to Love” premiered last night (nope, not watching).

• President Obama wants the parties involved in the Harvard professor arrest debacle to sit down in the White House with him and have a beer, but it can only be a domestic beer.

• South Texas is experiencing a serious drought and off-duty cops are on patrol for water wasters, while neighbors are tattling on each other for using their sprinklers.

I don't really want to talk about that stuff though, because today is Big T's birthday!  Twenty-five years ago today, I became an aunt for the first time.  I've been blessed with another nephew and a niece since then, and all three are equally special, but there's something unforgettable about that first experience when you realize you're an aunt.  I can't quite describe it, except to say that being an aunt has been one of the greatest joys of my life.

I can remember when Big T was born, and I have lots of snapshots in my mind of him as Lil T and Medium T over the years.

• I'll NEVER forget how we had to pull over for an emergency diaper change in my '84 Chrysler Laser on the way back from visiting our grandmother in West Texas. When I say emergency, I mean EMERGENCY DIAPER CHANGE!  Don't breathe; just get that diaper off the kid and then let's see how fast we can drive with the windows down to air out the funk in the car!

• I remember LilSis and I taking Lil T to the first Main Street Arts Festival, struggling with the stroller over the power cables.  I still go to that every year, all these years later, but it's never as much fun as that first year.

• I can hear him repeating “I weddy go now!” at increasing decibel levels until we finally left the State Fair of Texas.  When he was done, he was done!

• I can see Lil T sitting in his car seat – face red as a beet and sweating like a pig who knows he's dinner (as Dr Phil would say) – waiting on the a/c to fire up in the middle of a sweltering Texas summer.  All he could say was “Haaaa”, which was toddler-speak for hot.  We still say that in our family when we're really hot.

• We still laugh about his acting debut as a little hobo, when he ad libbed and scooped up a fellow actress in his wheelbarrow and scooted her all around the stage, to our amusement but to the horror of his teacher!

• Even though it's NOT funny and I'm NOT advocating violence, I can't help but laugh at the story of him stabbing a bully kid in the leg with a pencil, after warning him that one more insult of “fancy pants” would end with graphite in his leg. 😀

• I still think about the July 4th parades we used to go to, with 100 degree heat at 9 am, and wonder why we did it!

• And I have tons of memories of his hockey goals and his smooth signature wrap-around-the-goal move.

So how did the years fly by so fast?  Now Big T is a grown-up man with a responsible job, an incredible sense of humor, a big personality, and some really cool tattoos!  How did this happen?  WHEN did this happen? Somehow 25 years passed…

Happy birthday, Big T!  You're an awesome nephew; thanks for making me an aunt!  And thanks for all of the memories.  I can't wait for 25 more years as your aunt.

Note to our readers:  Thanks for indulging me today while I went off on a personal walk down memory lane.  I couldn't let this day pass without a shout-out to Big T!

~BigSis

Posted under Family

You know that age-related memory loss that some of us get?  We forget names and appointments, and sometimes, even simple everyday words evade us.  For some reason, I can't remember the word Pomegranate to save my life these days.

99% of the time I try to come up with Pomegranate, what my brain gives me is Pomeranian.  It makes no logical sense, but in my mind, these little pink guys have been called Pomeranian Cupcakes more often than they've been called Pomegranate Cupcakes.  Sorry cute little yappy doggies, you know I'd never make cupcakes out of you!

But forget what I call these; you should call them delicious! Hannah Kaminsky calls them Pomegranate Ginger Cupcakes in her book My Sweet Vegan.  I successfully baked a bunch of things from this book for our SPCA Bake Sale last December, so I thought it would be a great source for a Valentine's Day treat.  I'm not a fan of crystallized ginger so I left it out of the cupcake batter, and I also omitted the ground ginger in the icing.  I didn't miss it a bit.

One bite missing...

This was a super-easy recipe, and I loved that it used 2 cups of the uber-healthy Pomeranian juice.  I mean Pomegranate juice, of course!  Everybody knows you can't juice a Pomeranian! 😀

The color of the cupcake looks a bit off in the photo, but these were really tasty so don't let that discourage you from making them.  They were moist and really flavorful!  Half of the POM juice was reduced to a syrup and drizzled over the unbaked batter, and it turned into a nice gooey tangy unexpected treat at the bottom of the cupcake.

I ad-libbed the icing with a stick of Earth Balance and powdered sugar and a bit of tart cherry juice, since I'd exhausted my supply of POM juice.  With a dash of good vanilla and some pink food coloring, the icing was finished.

2 bites gone now...

Make these for your sweetie this Valentine's Day!  And remember, they're Pomegranate Cupcakes!

~BigSis

Posted under Holidays

A few years ago, I still had 3 cats instead of my current 2, and I really was getting tired of the daily litter box scooping routine:

• Find a plastic bag without holes

• Scoop into the bag and tie it up

• Take the filled bag to the dumpster – rain or shine, light or dark, Africa hot or Antarctica cold

If I was too lazy to make the trip to the trash, I'd occasionally leave the little bag of presents sitting on the front or back porch for later, and that's just gross.  There had to be an easier way to handle this chore, which had to be done every day with 3 cats.  I started thinking and wishing that someone made a contraption like the Diaper Genie, but for used cat litter instead of disposable baby diapers.  I went online, and voila!  Someone does make that contraption.  It's called the Petmate Litter Locker ($21.87 at Amazon).

Litter Locker

This little jewel does everything I want it to do.  I don't have to dig around for a plastic bag and I don't have to schlep the filled bag to the dumpster every day.  You just scoop the used litter into the Litter Locker with the provided scooper, and then turn the handle.  There is a long plastic bag in the Litter Locker, and when you turn the handle, you're essentially coiling the bag and it's contents around itself.  When the Locker gets full, you just empty the coil into the trash.

There is no odor, and you never have to touch anything yukky.  If you have several cats and like a really clean litter box, or your cats demand a really clean box, you can scoop several times a day if you want to.  It's super easy!  And anything that makes my life easier is a winner in my book!  I've been using the Litter Locker for around 3 years now, and am on my second one.  After a while, I think the plastic does absorb a bit of odor from storing all that poo, so I replaced mine when I moved a year ago.

You can buy the Litter Locker and refills at Amazon.com, PetSMart, WalMart, Petco and several online pet supply companies.  I highly recommend it!

~BigSis

Posted under Animals

There are only a few weeks of Summer left, so I find myself daydreaming about a nice trip to Paradise before it's time to get ready for back-to-school.  If someone were to ask me to describe my idea of Paradise, I'd probably say something like this:

“I'm on an island far, far away where the sand is so soft and so white that it reminds me of powdered sugar, and the beach is surrounded by the most gorgeous, clear turquoise blue water that you've ever seen. There is not a cloud in the sky and the sun's rays feel perfect on my skin that is slathered in my favorite Hawaiian Tropic. There are no cell phones, computers or televisions on the island and I am able to leisurely read a book while laying on the beach, totally uninterrupted, except for the occasional delivery of food and cold beverages”.

Unfortunately, it's highly unlikely that I'll be experiencing anything like that any time in the near future so I'll have to compromise.

(Yes, this sign really is in my backyard; but, no, it's not always Happy Hour.) 🙂

Since it's Friday and the guys are golfing today, I thought I might be able to experience a little Paradise right here in my own backyard. I'm going to try and take a couple hours off this afternoon to read by the pool while I have the house to myself. I may have a couple of friends stop by later so I wanted to make some sort of refreshing, tropical dessert.

While browsing the Internet looking for some ideas for a freezer pie, I stumbled upon this recipe for Paradise Pie on texascooking.com. I knew right away that I wanted to make this pie and I was thrilled that it was so fast and easy to put together!

The combination of the pineapple, coconut, and pecans was so tropical that I almost felt like I if I closed my eyes, I could pretend that I was in Paradise!

Paradise Pie poolside, anyone?

Paradise Pie

• 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, well drained
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 carton (8 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed (use 4 oz.)
• 1 9-inch graham cracker crust

Combine the milk and lemon juice in a bowl. Stir well. Add the drained pineapple, coconut and pecans, mixing well. Gently fold in the whipped topping. Pour into the crust. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours. Remove from the freezer about 15 minutes before serving. Cover any leftover pie loosely with foil or place inside a large freezer storage bag and return to the freezer.

I'm submitting this recipe to this month's You want pies with that event. Be sure to check the site on August 8th for the full roundup!

~LilSis

Posted under Food

Great product recommendations, BigSis!  I've never tried any of those, but I just might have to give the CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser a try. I have drier skin and I always need to make sure that it is hydrated or I look really “tired”.

I also never go to bed without cleansing my face, but I guess you could say that I have lower maintenance skin. It's not out of laziness that I don't take more time to cleanse my face, it's more a matter of convenience. I never have liked using washcloths to remove eye makeup because I hate that the mascara stains the cloths. A few years ago, I got tired of buying the cotton rounds and separate eye makeup remover.

• I discovered that the Olay Regenerist Micro-Exfoliating Wet Cleansing Cloths worked quite well on removing mascara and do the job as a facial cleanser as well.

Olay Micro-Exfoliating Wet Cleansing Cloths

If you purchase them at Target or Wally Mart, they are around $7.99.  I just found this deal at drugstore.com. They are $8.79 at drugstore.com, but if you buy one Olay Regenerist item, you get the second item for 50% off.  I'm not recommending that this product is for everyone because obviously it is not a deep cleansing product. It's quick and easy and gets the job done when I'm in a hurry.

• When I do actually take a little more time to cleanse, I really love Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash. This cleanser does a great job on combination skin.  My skin feels nice and clean after using this product but never feels dry and tight. At $18.50 a tube, it is still a good value.

Origins Checks and Balances

• I also love Origins Never a Dull Moment. Origins calls this product a skin-brightening face cleanser.  It contains extract of crushed papaya and not only smells amazing, but really does the job of sloughing off dead skin. It almost feels like a scrub, but isn't drying. It also costs $18.50 a tube.

Origins Never a Dull Moment

Of course, with both these Origins products, I have to remove my eye makeup separately, so I don't end up using them as often as I should.  If I get my makeup off, moisturizer and eye cream on every night, then I'm pretty happy.

Now, when it comes to hydrating products and eye creams, I'm a a lot more rigid and use a combination of those products every morning and every night!  I've got drier skin than BigSis, so I might be a little more obsessive about these products. I would talk about those now, but they deserve an entire post of their own. BigSis, you want to share some of your favorite eye creams?

~LilSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

Can you believe we only have one more regular episode of Lost before the season and series finale on May 23rd? Noooooo!!!! Say it isn't so!  I haven't even recovered yet from losing Sayid, Sun, and Jin (and maybe Lapidus?).

I've been watching this show since the very first episode 6 years ago, and these people are my fwends. They can't all go away and leave me! Well, I kinda could handle them all going away if they just left Sawyer to console me. Mwah ha ha ha.

I say we should enjoy every last morsel of Lost before it's gone.  Here are some goodies and funnies I found that tickle me:

Let's start with a goodie, shall we?  You didn't think I could talk about Lost without including a gratuitous Sawyer photo, did you?  😀

Now, how about planning a Lost Finale Party!  Get the details from the theackattack.net.  If you don't know about this site, you have to check it out before Lost is gone!  Rachel does a review of each episode that is dead-on accurate and hilarious.  Here's the recap of last week's The Candidate.

Once Lost is finished, maybe we could get our Lost fix with a Lost cartoon series!  Ion9.com has a gallery of character drawings that's priceless.  I love how the facial expressions capture each character to a T.

I feel like I need a souvenir from the last 6 years.  What do you buy when you visit some place fun?  You buy a t-shirt, of course, and we've definitely been somewhere!  I like the women's Oceanic Airlines t-shirt on ABC's store site.

Who knew there were Lost bobbleheads!  This Benjamin Linus bobblehead from entertainmentearth.com has bloody scrapes on his face and his arm is in a sling!  Ha!  It's sold out right now, but I want it.

You can also choose Hurley, Kate, Richard, Dr. Edgar Halliwax, John Locke, Daniel Farraday, Jacob, Man in Black, or Claire Littleton (OMG, she's holding that creepy monkey-body baby thing!)

But wait!  No Sawyer?  Are you kidding me?  Travesty of a mockery of a sham!  You can't have Lost bobbleheads and not do Sawyer!  He's the bobbliest bobblehead of all!

Before I go, let me remind you to mark your calendars.  The Lost finale event is Sunday, May 23rd.  It starts at 7 pm/6 pm central time.  Til then, let me know if you find any fun Lost stuff!

~BigSis

Posted under This & That

We're going through a lot of changes right now with our business and the past several weeks have been the most stressful that we've ever been through. I'm sure we'll get through it as we always do. I just tell myself every morning “This too shall pass.” (Actually, I say that about fifty times during the day.)

What does that have to do with the World's Happiest Cities?

Well, since you asked, I'll tell ya. While in the middle of this huge transition, I find myself thinking about what it means to really be happy and to have true inner peace. I even wonder if it's possible to live a stress-free life? Could you really live a happier life just because you're living in a different environment?

I've always wanted to go to Rio de Janeiro, but since I heard that it was voted The Happiest City in the World, I WANT TO GO NOW!!  This might even get put at the top of my bucket list above Rome. (Don't get hissed off at me BigSis, I'm not ditchin' our dream vacation to Italy.)

I'm really curious to know what makes a city the happiest city in the world? For starters, just look at the place.

Leblon Beach

Stunning views

Rio de Janeiro

Ipanema Beach (Flickr Photo by over_kind_man)

Forbes recently named the Top Ten Happiest Cities in the World. Here's the complete list.

1. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2. Sydney, Australia
3. Barcelona, Spain
4. Amsterdam, Netherlands
5. Melbourne, Australia
6. Madrid, Spain
7. San Francisco, USA
8. Rome, Italy
9. Paris, France
10. Buenos Aires, Argentina

It's sad that there's only one US city on the list. The results were compiled from 10,000 online interviews from people living in twenty countries. Still, the concept of happiness is pretty tough to quantify. This study is more of a survey of the respondents' perception of happiness than actual reality.

The study says “Brazil is associated with all the qualities of good humor and good living and Carnival”. Carnival is very important- it's the classic image that people have of Rio, and it's an image of happiness.

You can actually buy an apartment in Rio for $25,000 and beachfront homes just an hour away for less than $250,000. That's a heck of a lot cheaper than here in California! Now all I need to do is figure out how people make a living there. I think I need to take a trip there to check it out.

I don't think HayHay would mind too much if we uprooted him to move to Brazil. The surfing is supposed to be pretty good in Rio!

~LilSis

Posted under Travel